


After the Storm

by diewolves



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Politics, F/F, more tags will be added as more chapters are added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-09
Updated: 2017-03-23
Packaged: 2018-09-23 04:31:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9640865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diewolves/pseuds/diewolves
Summary: Sansa is a grad student at MIT studying astrophysics; her father is Speaker of the House; Joffrey is a dick; his father is the President. Margaery is a law student at Harvard; her brother is chief of staff to the sadly closeted Secretary of Labor. Margaery sees a pretty girl alone at a coffee shop on Valentine's day, she does what any rational person would. Sansa faces a choice between a kind girl who bought her coffee and a cruel boyfriend she can't leave; she does what any rational person would.





	1. I look up

And after the storm,  
I run and run as the rains come  
And I look up, I look up,  
On my knees and out of luck,  
I look up.

-

Sansa tipped her cup back, swallowing the last few drops. Six Starbucks cups littered the table in front of her, each of them identical. Tall cinnamon chai latte, almond milk, extra pump of chai. The baristas had memorized the order months ago, the first time she came here to escape him. Usually she just came to gather up her courage, to drink something that tasted like home, but today she couldn’t bring herself to leave. Valentine’s day had become the most terrifying day of the year. 

Sansa pushed herself out of her chair, and lined up behind an old man with a cane and a string of businessmen from the office complex across the street. She could hear someone else line up behind her, probably another businessman. They all looked vaguely the same. When she was younger, she had hated going into work with her father; all the tall men in black and white terrified her. Even now, she preferred not to go to Capitol Hill events with him, instead choosing to stay at home with her little siblings during breaks. 

She reached the front of the line, and the barista pulled out the tall cup, already knowing what her order would be. 

“Tall cinnamon chai latte,” the person behind her said, “almond milk, extra pump of chai.” 

Sansa whirled around to face a smirking woman. She looked to be a couple years older than Sansa, with softly curling brown hair and red lips pursed together in an attempt not to laugh. 

Sansa turned back to the barista, “Yeah. That’ll be my order. Thanks.”

“No, I’d like to pay for that.,” the woman behind her interrupted, “Tall cinnamon chai latte, almond milk, extra pump of chai, please.” She held out a credit card, which the barista accepted suspiciously. The woman paid for Sansa’s drink in silence, and followed her to the counter to pick it up. 

Sansa thought through the possibilities. Serial killer? Possible, if unlikely. Grad student doing a weird sociology experiment? More likely. Someone with connections to her father? It had happened before, although admittedly in a less obscure and more asking for favors way.

“I’m sorry, do I know you? I meet a lot of people with my dad, and I’m sorry if I-”

“No, you don’t know me, I don’t think. It’s just, when I see a pretty girl sitting alone in a coffee shop on Valentine’s day, I feel bad for the person who left her there. They don’t know what they’re missing out on.”

Sansa choked out a laugh, “Oh no, that’s not- I’m standing him up.”

“Being stood up by you? What did he do to earn that punishment?”

Sansa could feel herself on the edge of tears. She took a sip of her tea, and forced herself to swallow it while it was still burning hot. She could feel it singeing her throat, but it focused her. 

“Nothing really.” Sansa reached up to the bruise on her throat, still black from last weekend. The woman’s eyes followed her movement, and when they reached the bruise Sansa saw her avert her eyes for just a second. Sansa covered the bruise with her hand, and continued, “I just meant to get a drink before our date, and then….”

“My name is Margaery. Uhm, Tyrell. I’m at law school at Harvard. I have an apartment in the city, if you need somewhere safe to go. Not that, I mean, I’m sure you can take care of yourself, but, just if you need somewhere to go, that is.” The girl- Margaery’s- eyes flickered to Sansa’s hand over her bruise again. Her eyebrows were drawn together, wrinkling her forehead with lines. “I know we only just met, but see, my mom- just, trust me. You don’t have to go to the date.”

“No, I’m fine. And I’m already late, if I get any later,” Sansa’s fingers tightened on her neck, digging into the blackened spot, “he’ll be mad.” Sansa stood up, and started taking her cups to the trash can. 

“Wait, what’s your name? Just give me your name and number. Just, just in case okay? In case anything happens?”

Sansa looked up at the girl. Her fingers were twisted into her hair, as if to pull it out of her head, and she was biting her lower lip. As Sansa watched, the lip began to bleed. Margaery’s fingers drummed on the table, disturbing a few napkins. Sansa pulled one towards her, writing down her number on it. 

“My name is Sansa. I’m at MIT, I’m getting my graduate in astrophysics. This is my number,” she said, sliding the napkin towards Margaery, “just in case.”

-

She parked her car across the street from an expensive French restaurant. Couples walked in and out, holding each other, smiling and laughing. She could see him by the valet, pacing back and forth. He looked practically murderous. If she had never met Joffrey before, she would have seen him like that and avoided him at all costs. She drank the last of the tea she had brought with her, bought by the girl from Starbucks. Her phone dinged, lighting up the inside of the car. She picked it up. 

<hey! this is margaery, from starbucks! just wanted you to have my #

<just in case :)

Sansa smiled, and clicked on the number, adding it into her contacts. She pocketed her phone, and exited the car, crossing the street to the restaurant. 

-

Joffrey leaned into her, grabbing kisses, hungry for more. She closed her eyes, thinking of anything but now. She started repeating trigonometry formulas to herself in her head, running through the proofs for each of them. Joffrey had sat next to her during precalculus, back in freshman year. She had been so impressed with him, the only other freshman as far ahead as she was. He had given up on math once they got to college, saying it was useless for the real world. It was the last place she had without him, and even it was tainted. 

“Hey, Valentine. Open your eyes.”

She obeyed him, forcing herself to look him in the eyes. 

“Why aren’t you doing anything? It’s Valentine’s day. It’s our three year anniversary. Remember college? Do you not love me? If you don’t love me, I don’t know what I’ll do Sansa. I could die. Why won’t you kiss me?”

She swallowed, and leaned forward to press on his lips. They curved into an arrogant smirk. 

“See. I knew you had it in you. Wait here, I’ve got a surprise for you.” Joffrey stood up and went to their bedroom, leaving her lying on the couch, trying to catch her breath. She felt wrong. Dirty. She felt like his. Sansa’s eyes darted to her phone, lying on the table. She hadn’t texted the girl from Starbucks back yet, but she knew the texts were there, waiting for her. 

Joffrey strode back into the room, holding something in a fist. He crawled back on top of her, forcing one, two, three kisses. His fist spread open, revealing a condom. Sansa felt her breath catch in her throat. 

“Joffrey, I can’t, you know I can’t. I don’t do this, okay? I’m waiting until marriage.” She felt her heart constrict as she echoed the excuse she had been using for years, conveniently given to her by her religious mother. 

“What’s it matter if we’re to be married after we graduate anyway? You know we’re only waiting for the sake of appearances. You’re going to fuck me anyway, you should do it now. For me, baby?”

She pushed out from under him, stumbling away from the couch. He followed after her, and grabbed her left arm, pulling her in again. She could almost taste the cognac on his breath from dinner, making him unsteady. 

“Come on baby, let me have you. It’s been long enough. You owe me this.”

Sansa shoved upward at his face with her free hand, hitting his chin hard and knocking his head back. He dropped her other arm, and she leaned backward, grabbing her keys and phone. 

“Sorry! I’m sorry, I’m-” 

Seeing Joffrey regain control over himself, she turned and ran for the door to their apartment at full speed. Sansa pulled it open, raced down the stairs, past the agents who conveniently ignored her, and to her car, which helpfully sensed her and clicked unlocked by the time she got to the driver’s seat. She immediately started the car and pulled out of the driveway as Joffrey came bursting out the front door. Sansa slammed her foot down as hard as she could, peeling down the street and away from Joffrey. 

She was free.

-

Margaery swiped left. Just another idiot trying to get with her. Jesus, she was single, not desperate. The next man had four separate people in his first photo. Left. A sailboat. Left. A large dog. Interesting. She clicked on his profile, but all of a sudden it disappeared, and her phone started shrieking. Margaery almost chucked the thing across the room, before she remembered that her brother’s idiot boyfriend had changed her ringtone to audio of himself screaming bloody murder. Fucking Renly. She checked the caller. The girl from Starbucks. She hit accept immediately, pulling the phone up to her ear.

“This is Margaery. Are you okay?”

She heard nothing on the other end. Then, a loud sob. Followed by another. The girl was crying to her on the phone. 

“Are you okay?”

“No. I’m at… I’m at the Starbucks. Where do you live?”

“I’m off Beacon. I’ll text it to you. Stay where you are. You should…. You should check find friends. He might be tracking you.” 

“Thank you.”

“Of course.”

Sansa, hung up. Margaery pulled up messenger, and immediately sent her address. 

4818 Reach St.>

be safe>

<15 min, thank you so much

<please don’t tell anyone about this

-

Margaery dropped her bowl of ice cream. It landed upside down on the counter, the phish food splattering across her shirt and floor. “Wait, I’m sorry, you’re dating the president’s son? What the fuck? You have to call the cops or the- I don’t know- Secret Service? He can’t do that to you. He can’t! You have to tell someone.”

She could see Sansa getting more uncomfortable as she spoke, so she stopped. 

Sansa finally replied, “I can’t. I really can’t. It would hurt the party, it would hurt Baratheon, it would hurt my dad. I really can’t. I just want to get away from him. This is fine.”

Margaery considered the spilled ice cream, and Sansa, trapped by her family with a boy who had come close to strangling her only days ago. 

“You can stay here. As long as you need. I won’t always have ice cream, this was a splurge funded by my brother, but I have a spare room that I’ve been meaning to rent out. I use it for my brother and his boyfriend if they come up to Boston, but they work in politics down in DC too. Do you know Renly Jankowski?”

“The labor secretary? Yeah. I didn’t know he was gay.”

“Yeah well, he’s not out, as it wouldn’t be exactly great for his career, but yeah. My brother was working on a campaign in Pittsburgh, and this was back when Renly was a labor rep for the steelworkers up in Pennsylvania. They started dating after my brother won the campaign.” 

Margaery stood up and started cleaning off the counter. She could feel Sansa’s eyes on her as she wiped down the granite.

-

Sunlight from an open window fell across her, the warmth reminding her of summer. Cold wind blew through the window, whipping the curtains into a frenzy, but she was beneath several layers of covers. The room was decorated with vases of flowers, lilies and roses and daisies and carnations and a hundred others she didn’t know the name of. They made the room smell sweet and peaceful. Sansa finally felt safe for the first time since she had moved in with him, and she was lying in a stranger’s bed. 

Sansa pushed the covers back off, and surveyed the room. She didn’t have anything with her to wear except what was on her back, so she straightened out the shirt and hoped for the best. Her phone was out of battery, but she hadn’t brought a charger. 

The first thing Sansa saw upon leaving her room was Margaery making omelettes, complete with cheese and peppers and spinach. There was already a plate at her seat from last night, steaming hot. 

“You don’t need to do this for me, you know.”

Margaery shook her head. “My pleasure.”

She finished the second omelette, and sat down across from Sansa, who had already given in and started eating. 

“Did you bring anything with you? When you left?”

Sansa shook her head. She had just wanted to get out as fast as possible, but now she was regretting not at least grabbing a charger. And what about Lady? Joffrey had always been mean to her dog, and now he had all the more reason to.

“We’re breaking in,” Margaery said, “and stealing your shit back. As soon as we finish breakfast. Do you know his schedule? When is he not at home?”

Sansa smiled. She didn’t know what she had done to deserve this kindness, but she wasn’t going to argue with it. “I think you underestimate the secret service. Besides, I have my key, we don’t need to break in.”

-

The agents at the door let Sansa in as soon as she arrived, not even asking for her key. When she had first moved in with Joffrey, she had made a point to get to know every single agent on Joffrey’s duty, but a couple months ago they had gotten into a fight over this and he had banned her from talking to them any more than necessary. The day after, a new set of agents had come in; apparently he had requested a new team. 

“Miss?”

She turned around in the doorway to see one of the agents looking at her.

“We won’t tell him. Don’t worry about him. He’s not a kind boy, the president’s son. The whole family, too. I’ll be pleased to vote for your father in a few years.”

Sansa knew they weren’t supposed to comment on the people they protected, and she knew it had taken a lot for him to say that. He was probably risking his job just by letting her in, what with Joffrey’s temper. Sansa felt a wave of sympathy for these men, forced to follow Joffrey around every waking hour of his day. 

Inside the house, Lady paced. She didn’t look visibly harmed, but she had peed on the floor, which she never did, and she was barking for food. Sansa clipped her to her leash as Margaery entered the apartment, holding several empty boxes for packing. 

Margaery whistled appreciatively, “Holy shit. I guess being son of the president comes with a few perks.”

“What do you mean?”

Margaery looked at her as if she were an idiot. “This kid does zero work and he’s got a flat screen tv, a state of the art kitchen, and a dining room bigger than my whole place. He’s got skylights, for God’s sake. Twenty bucks says no student loans, too.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Sansa turned towards their bedroom. “Alright, time to get my stuff.”

They loaded up the boxes with her clothes, her books, her computer, everything she could see that she didn’t want him to have. Finally, when the boxes were full, they walked them downstairs, Lady following right behind them with her leash dragging on the floor. They loaded the car, and got in, Lady in the back seat. 

“Just so you know,” Margaery said, “dogs over fifty pounds are not allowed at my apartment.”

“Lady can be under fifty pounds, if I ask. You’d be surprised what people would do for me if I ask.”

“If you say so. Just don’t get me kicked out of my own apartment for a stupid dog, okay?”

“Lady isn’t stupid, she’s quite intelligent. She can fetch the mail, and she howls along to songs she likes, and she rarely eats flowers or any other plants anymore.”

“You’re kidding, right? You know I do floral arrangements in my spare time for extra money, right? Your dog eats flowers?” Margaery turned to Sansa, her eyebrows raised.

“Rarely.”

Margaery rubbed her eyes, and muttered something under her breath.

“What was that?” Sansa said.

“If you were any less beautiful, I swear.” Margaery rolled up the windows and drove away, leaving Joffrey’s apartment behind them. 


	2. to see decay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sansa feels safe. She is not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sososo sorry this took so long to write, I'm absolutely swamped with work and I also kept ending up writing other stuff.

Night has always pushed up day  
You must know life to see decay  
But I won't rot, I won't rot  
Not this mind and not this heart,  
I won't rot.  
-  
Margaery looked the beast in its eyes. Sansa had been living in her spare room for a month now, and Margaery had almost no complaints with her. She was the ideal roommate; she cooked, she cleaned, she paid rent, she never hogged the tv or ate Margaery’s leftovers, and sometimes when she thought Margaery wasn’t listening she would sing. Add to all that, she was so out of Margaery’s league that even existing near her was a gift. The only complaint Margaery had so far, and it was an unfortunately big one, was the dog. It barked during movies, it ate food off the tables, it ate flowers off the tables, it stole Margaery’s things and hid them, and, worst of all, it sat at her spot on the couch. When Sansa was home, she could command it and it would leave in an instant. Sansa was not home.  
“Shoo!” Margaery yelled, waving at the dog from across the room. It barked back at her, snuggling further into her spot. “Hey idiot! You look like a beagle!” The cursed creature ignored her taunts, remaining in place. She looked around the room for weapons. On the kitchen counter, there was a spray bottle to be used on orchids only. Margaery retrieved her spray bottle and pointed it at the dog.  
“I’ll do it, I will!” She waved it around wildly, trying to intimidate the dog. It just blinked at her. “Fine! You asked for it!” She squirted the bottle, hitting it right in the face. The dog leaped off the couch, barking its head off.  
“Ha! That’s what you get, see.”  
The dog stopped shaking around, and ran at her, tackling her. She felt something wet on her face and opened her eyes to it licking her, dripping drool and wet dog fur juice all over her. She started screaming and kneed it in the stomach, and it jerked away, stumbling backwards. It looks at her mournfully, with better puppy eyes than she had ever mastered. Stupid punk ass dog. She smelled disgusting.  
The door creaked open behind her, and she turned to see Sansa surveying the scene. She lay on the ground near the couch, dog slobber spread across her cheeks, holding the spray bottle like a gun. The couch’s black fabric was covered in white and grey dog fur and slightly wet. The dog was making those puppy eyes at Sansa, like it was asking for forgiveness.  
“What did you do to Lady?” Sansa asked slowly.  
“What did I do to Lady? What about me? The dog attacked me!”  
Sansa narrowed her eyes, and strode over to her dog. It met her and started barking happily, pushing its snout into her palm.  
“You stressed Lady out!”  
“I stressed Lady out?” Margaery felt her voice rising, “It was in my spot! Where I sit!”  
“Lady would never do that! She’s a good dog.”  
“Then why are there dog hairs on my spot, huh?” Margaery was practically shouting now. She pushed herself up, and put her hands on her hips. “That dog is evil, I tell you. Pure evil.”  
“Don’t talk about Lady like that. She’s a great dog. She loves me.”  
“I can’t fucking believe you. I let you into my apartment, I save you from that jackass, and you just let your dog sit in my spot. In my apartment. You’re ridiculous.” Margaery started walking towards her bathroom to wash up, past where Sansa was standing, but when she got close to her she noticed that Sansa had started crying. Tears ran down her face, and she looked as if she was holding her breath. She half stumbled, half fell backwards, away from Margaery. Sansa hit the wall, and shuddered, gasping for breath. Margaery rushed forward, catching Sansa as she slumped against the wall.  
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Fear crept into Margaery’s voice. She hadn’t seen Sansa like this in weeks, not since the last time Margaery had woken to her screaming from a nightmare. “Sansa?”  
Sansa shook her head, leaning further into Margaery’s arms. “It’s just, for a moment, you sounded like him. I’m sorry.”  
Margaery could feel herself tearing up now. She had done this. “No, don’t be sorry, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to get loud, it’s fine. It bothered me but it wasn’t bad, I was just….. Bickering. It’s stupid. Listen, please, I’m sorry.” Sansa continued to sob, but she forced a smile and nodded at Margaery. Margaery pulled her into a tight hug, rocking back and forth. She ran her hand through Sansa’s hair, holding the girl’s head close to her chest. She was suddenly painfully aware of how close together they were. Sansa was just the right height to press into her collarbone, her tears running down Margaery’s chest. Her hair, a brilliant orange, was softer than anything Margaery had felt before. Usually it was up, so she didn’t realize, but it was incredibly long. Margaery felt her heart catch in her throat. God, she was beautiful.  
Finally, Sansa pulled away, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “Thank you. I’m sorry about that. But, thank you.”  
Margaery nodded. They stood awkwardly, about a foot apart.  
“Well, I’d better get to work.” Margaery said. Sansa nodded, shoving her hands into her pants pockets. “Bye.”  
-  
Sansa jumped at the sound of the doorbell. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and made to stand up and get the door when it swung open, revealing a grocery laden Margaery. She did an awkward wave from the doorway, her mouth in a half smile, half grimace. “Just, letting you know I’m coming in. Sorry if I scared you.”  
Sansa nodded, and lowered herself back onto the couch. Margaery kept staring at her from the doorway. “I bought, umm, lemon bars. From the grocery store, the Ralphs. I know you like lemon. They’re organic. I think.”  
“Thanks.”  
“We can order food too, if you want. There’s a Vietnamese place nearby that delivers. I can call in and get us some pho, or-”  
“Margaery,” Sansa interjected, “You don’t have to apologize for this morning. It wasn’t your fault.”  
Margaery nodded and moved to the kitchen, unpacking the groceries. Sansa got up to help her, and they worked in silence, restocking the pantries. Sansa finished loading the can cabinet up with lentil soup, and when she closed the cabinet door, she saw Margaery staring at her from the other side of the kitchen.  
“It is though,” Margaery said, “It is my fault. I went too far, and I should have known better. I know you have nightmares. About him. I hear you screaming, every night. I know you’re still hurting, and I stood there and I yelled at you about the stupidest fucking- about my spot on the couch. Like he would have. It is my fault.”  
“It’s okay,” Sansa whispered, trying to hold back tears. She looked down at the floor, blinking them out of her eyes. She heard footsteps across the kitchen, and felt Margaery’s arms wrapping around her.  
“No. It’s not.”  
Sansa swallowed, and pulled away. She didn’t want to get into the habit of crying into her roommate’s arms. “It is okay. I mean, it’s not okay what happened, but this is okay. You’re okay. I forgive you.”  
Margaery nodded. “So, Vietnamese then? Or we can get pizza, or anything you want.”  
“Vietnamese is good.”  
They spent the evening watching some drama series on netflix, wrapped up under a blanket on the couch. Lady slept across their feet. They ate dinner and the lemon bars, and when Sansa mentioned that she was still hungry, Margaery wasn’t angry in the slightest. She got up and made them cereal. Sansa woke up the next morning with her head on Margaery’s chest, and their legs tangled together. Sansa could have stayed in that moment forever.  
-  
As the months wore on, Sansa’s workload grew, and she started spending more time at the library. Margaery’s schedule paralleled hers. Even when they were both in the apartment at the same time, they had studying, or chores, or sleep to catch up on. Although she was seeing Margaery less, Sansa felt more and more at home as time passed. She stopped flinching when the door opened, stopped always keeping an eye on the room around her, stopped changing her phone’s passcode once a week. She fell into habits with Margaery. She would do the groceries and cooking, Margaery would do the cleaning and the laundry. Every Sunday evening they watched tv together, and every weekday morning Margaery left extra coffee in the pot for her when she got up. For once, Sansa felt safe.  
She was musing on these developments and avoiding her work in the library one day when her phone buzzed. Sansa bent over immediately to check it, expecting a snapchat from Margaery or a text from her little sister. When she saw the number, she dropped her phone, a wave of fearing rushing over her. Sansa picked up the phone, and turned it over, revealing a shattered screen. Beneath the webbed cracks in the glass, she could read a text.  
  
i’m behind the library like you asked>  
She felt something heavy swing into her head, and everything went black.  
-  
Margaery paced back and forth, checking her phone every fourth turn. Sansa was late for their tv night. Lady was whining, her head following Margaery as she walked.  
“I should just watch it without her, shouldn’t I? I’m sure she was just talking to some professor and lost track of time. Or fell asleep in the library again.”  
Lady only cocked her head.  
“I’m talking to a dog.”  
Finally, Margaery sat down, and unpaused the show. She had started it, thinking Sansa would come in only a few minutes late, and had paused after the first commercial break. Two hours ago.  
-  
Sansa woke up in the passenger seat of Joffrey’s car, her wrists handcuffed in front of her and her feet tied to something beneath the chair. Joffrey ignored her awakening, driving on. It was dark out, and she couldn’t see anything outside of the car.  
“Where are you taking me?” she asked, her voice surprisingly calm.  
“It doesn’t matter. Not for you. You won’t leave there.”  
He was going to kill her then. Now that she was facing it, she wasn’t as scared. He would probably force her into sex, one last time. She could accept that. She had known the risks of running away. From the moment they first started dating he had always said the same thing to her. ‘I will have you, and no one else.’ At first it had been romantic. Then it had become terrifying. Now it was simply fact.  
“Where’s Lady?”  
“Your bitch is fine. I can’t believe you fell for that. I send you one picture of that dog from months ago, and you’re mine all over again.”  
Lady was safe. She was at home, with Margaery. They were probably watching tv, across the room from each other, in a tense cross-living room truce. Or they were fighting again. Sansa smiled at the thought of it. She had never known anyone before Margaery who could bicker with a dog. Or make terrific coffee out of cheap beans, or keep flowers alive for weeks. Sansa wished she could stay with her forever.  
-  
It was past midnight. Margaery hadn’t been able to finish the show, and Lady had turned to outright howling. Margaery had hit the point of wild conspiracy. She could have been hit by a car, or kidnapped, or she could have gotten lost somewhere, or a hundred horrific ideas.  
She could have been kidnapped.  
Joffrey.  
Margaery pulled out her phone at the speed of light, cursing under her breath for not thinking of the possibility sooner. She pulled open a tracking app, and checked where Sansa was. Months ago they had agreed to download apps to share their locations, in case this exact scenario happened. Sansa’s dot was zooming out of Boston at 90 miles per hour, speeding north.  
Margaery called 911 immediately.  
-  
After an indeterminable length of time, Joffrey finally turned the car off the main freeway, down a side road. They followed the road only briefly, further into the forest that had bordered their drive for a while now. He walked around to her side, bent to undo her ties, and yanked her out of the seat. He was holding a gun. Sansa closed her eyes, sending a short prayer for speed, at the very least. When she opened her eye again, he was playing with the gun, watching her with a sinister grin. The sound of the freeway carried on behind them, but they were too removed from the road for any of those people to matter.  
Until a sound shattered the calm. A siren.  
-  
Margaery slammed on the brakes, leaping out of the car instantly. Lady followed her, and the two of them raced up to the crime scene. There were at best guess a hundred people running around, with flashing lights everywhere and men in black suits and reporters by the dozens. Sitting in the middle of the chaos was Sansa, covered by a silver shock blanket. Slowly, as if she knew Margaery and Lady were there, she looked up.


End file.
